Behind the scenes: Drawing the Bombay plague

21 December 2017

Watch Ranjit Kandalgaonkar discuss his commission for 'Ayurvedic Man: Encounters with Indian medicine'.

Ranjit Kandalgaonkar’s commission uses archival material from our Library and the Asiatic Library in Mumbai, to explore the 1896 Bombay plague epidemic. Here he discusses creating the piece and the unexpected places his research led him.

The Bombay plague of 1896 marked a turning point in disease control. Strict, authoritarian measures were imposed by a colonial administration worried that the plague would spread back to Europe via its trade routes.

Ranjit’s commission follows from his residency at Gasworks, London, which was supported by the Charles Wallace India Trust and Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation.